Your Kisses
by Ritter Sport
Summary: Series of themed one-shots. One thing can always lead to another - and in this case, a kiss. Mike/Tina
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **I'm taking this ship way to seriously. It's consuming me! And the plot bunnies have just been going crazy in my head. Scattered scenarios have been popping up here and there for Tina/Mike and they are bugging me. So to find release, I've decided to offer a series of one-shots for all of you.

Again, this is a collection of **themed **one-shots. A certain theme (or scenario) just comes to mind and I'd like to write about it. I may do a couple, it all depends. However, reader interaction would be absolutely lovely. So send in **your themes **(or scenarios).

Chapters may either be connected or not. It all depends on the mood and theme, and the timeline the story takes on. But all chapters will be stand alone stories. Genres and setups are also open for discussions. Fluffy or smutty stories are open, though story ratings will then differ.

I've always like doing themed projects, so this would definitely be fun to do. As a baseline, all themes will lead to a _kiss. _Just to keep things on a nice romantic level that we all just love.

So here's the first story. Enjoy. Feel free to review.

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

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**Theme: **"Body Art"

Curiosity killed the cat, but he was intrigued. And he would be damned if he didn't solve this little mystery soon, or else his imagination may just get the best of him. While his impending doom may well be in the horizon, he was hell bent in solving this agonizingly tantalizing mystery.

Mike Chang was a man on a mission, and with his curiosity (and wild teenage imagination) getting the best of him, he had to do it. And with a stealthy look that could easily memorize any difficult dance move, Mike watched the object of his curiosity move across the choir room.

Oblivious to his intense stare was seventeen year old Tina Cohen-Chang as she passed Mr. Shuester and headed to the band for a quick chat.

He really should be listening to Puck and Finn as they were discussing new game tactics for their upcoming game on Friday night. But he couldn't. He was too engrossed in watching Tina joke around with the glee band. Not that he was jealous of her talking with the drummer or anything. He just wanted to watch her and finally put an end to this mystery.

"Dude, you're totally checking out Tina's ass,"

Mike felt suddenly winded and he reeled back in his seat, turning to Puck and taking in his smug smile. He blushed furiously and shook his head. "I wasn't!"

"Dude, it's alright," Puck smirked at him and nonchalantly slumped back in his seat and regarded Mike. "She has a fine ass, anyway. And besides, aren't you two dating? So it's legal to check her ass out,"

Mike wasn't sure if he should be offended or just laugh at Puck's logic. "Quit talking about her ass," he finally hissed at him, frowning in distaste. "And I wasn't checking her out,"

"Aren't you two related?"

Mike sighed and stared at Finn, who offered a very confused look in return. "No, Finn. Tina and I are not related. Chang is a very common Chinese family name in America,"

"Dude, if you two were related, that would just be total incest," Puck grinned.

"Totally," added Finn. He stopped for a moment and smiled thoughtfully. "Good thing you aren't related,"

Mike laughed and shook his head. His gaze briefly flickered towards Tina, who was now going through some sheet music with the band. Turning back his attention to his two friends, he smiled. "Incest isn't really big on my list too,"

Puck idly strummed his guitar and slumped in his chair with a smug expression on his face. "Incest isn't so bad when to sisters get in on in front of you, though," He looked rather wistful.

Mike made a face and shook his head. He faintly wondered why he was friends with Puck to begin with. Deciding not to linger on the topic, considering that Puck – despite his testosterone driven self – was a good friend, Mike turned his attention to Mr. Shue as the group settled down for practice. Tina took this moment to return to her seat next to him, they shared brief smiles, and turned their attention to their teacher.

Stealing a quick glance at Tina, Mike regarded her briefly. He would solve this mystery, if it was the last thing he would do (which, as he thought about it, it would probably be).

It really all started about a couple of days ago, when he and Tina had study period together. Opting to forgo the tables, the couple sat hidden in between the natural sciences bookshelves. For one thing, it was easier that way to get all the necessary books they needed for science class. And on another thought, it was a perfect hideaway to steal occasional kisses.

By nature, Mike Chang was a gentleman. He never beat up kids, dumped them into dumpsters, never offered lewd suggestions, and never made any crude remarks. It was safe to assume that Mike was no where near the ranks of Noah Puckerman and his perverted-ness, and Azimio and Karofsky for their Neanderthal ways. Mike Chang was genuinely a nice guy.

But then again, Mike Chang was still a red blooded teenage boy, who on occasion would definitely go by instinct if needed.

And that is why it really came to no surprise when after sharing a rather heady kiss with Tina, he openly watched her stroll towards the bookshelves across of them and briefly stared at her backside. However, what did surprise him was when she (still oblivious to his stare) stood on her toes and stretched her hand out in hopes of grabbing the biology textbook at the top shelf. Her fitted purple shirt rose slightly, revealing a familiar expanse of creamy skin, yet something caught his eye that he had definitely not seen before.

And since then, Mike was intrigued.

Practice had gone smoothly, save perhaps for Rachel's constant unsolicited advise. As the group was slowly leaving the choir room, Mike regarded Tina thoughtfully, trying to figure out his next move.

"You hungry?" he asked her, just as they were ready to leave.

Tina smiled and nodded. "A bit,"

"Want to go to my place?" he asked her as he threw his arm around her shoulders and navigated them out of the room. He smiled playfully at her. "My mom just texted. She made brownies before she left for her shift at the hospital, and they have your name written all over them,"

"I love your mom," Tina grinned and threw her arm around his waist in a hug. "Her brownies are the best,"

Laughing, Mike nodded and they made their way to his car. It didn't take them long before the two of them found themselves in the deserted Chang household, with the scent of freshly baked brownies wafting from the kitchen. To Tina's delight, they found the batch of fresh brownies on the kitchen counter with a note "_To Tina and Mike with Love."_

Sprawled out on the living room floor, leaning against the bottom of the couch, the two sat curled up against each other, eating brownies and idly watching television.

"That's your third one," commented Mike, while watching Tina take another square from the plate. He chuckled when she shot him an amused look.

"I can't help it," she whined and fiddled with the treat. "They're so good,"

Laughing, Mike reached out and with his thumb, wiped a crump away from the corner of her lips. "I can see that,"

Tina made a face at him and nudged him playfully, before settling back into his embrace and nibbling on the brownie. They fell into comfortable silence as they watched _Dirty Dancing_ on television. Mike spared Tina a glance, noting that she seemed too engrossed in the movie (and brownies) right now to take notice of anything else. It was now his time to act, or this growing curiosity may well eat him up alive.

Discreetly sparing a glance at her hips, which jutted out as she curled into his side, his left hand traveled from her waist to her hips where the hemlines of her t-shirt and pleated skirt met. He felt Tina shift in his embrace, he faintly wondered if she was on to him. Or maybe she just liked what he was doing. He began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt, tracing soft patterns on her hips and discreetly moving the fabric in hopes of getting better access to skin. He hoped he didn't sound like Puck at the moment.

"What are you doing?" Tina sounded amused, not bothering to lift her head from his chest and she continued to watch the movie. She felt his warm fingers ghost across her skin and she shivered in excitement.

Mike tensed and his fingers stopped on her hips. "I, uh," he swallowed nervously and all of the sudden the chipped paint job of the living room coffee table became very interesting.

Tina shifted and regarded him with an amused expression. She felt his fingers flex on her hips and grinned. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing!" his voice suddenly became an octave higher and she laughed.

"Don't tell me you've been talking with Puck," she nudged him and sat up, though his hand did not seem to leave her side. "I'd be worried,"

Mike laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry, I bring no Puck advice with me,"

"Good," Tina said, but still regarded him with a suspicious look. "What's with you? You've been jumpy these days. And, you've been staring, though I don't mind the attention,"

"You noticed?" Mike looked surprised and he chuckled to himself. So much for being discreet.

"Of course, I did. Do you have any idea how heavy your stares are sometimes?" Tina smirked. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Though again, I don't mind at all,"

"I'm busted, am I?" Mike chuckled.

"Very much," Tina looked at him. "So what's the deal?"

Mike laughed sheepishly and once again absently started to fiddle with the hem of her t-shirt. His gaze drifted from her face to her side and back to her face, where an amused smile played on her lips. "It's just, that…I…uh,"

"C'mon, Mike, spill," Tina looked highly amused by his sudden bashfulness. Though she had a feeling where this was leading to, she liked milking the moment for what its worth. Despite of them dating for quite a while now, they could still have their shy moments with each other.

He faintly wondered if he was doomed, but went for the kill anyway. She seemed amused of the situation anyway. And he had a feeling she knew what he meant anyway. "I, uh, want to see,"

"See what?" She looked at him playfully and shifted in her seat, drawing herself closer to him.

His gaze flickered to her waist as her t-shirt rode up her hips, showing once again a sliver of skin. Mike swallowed. "When did you get a tattoo?" he finally asked, his resolve broken.

Tina laughed but still blushed heartily, realizing that he must seriously have kept on looking at her for him to actually see the body art. That, and he actually kept track of what was to find on her body. She blushed even more. "I don't have a tattoo," she finally supplied, smiling at him in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment.

"But that thing on your back?" he asked, his gaze dropping to the small of her back and looking at the covered flesh intently. "I swear I saw something when we were at the library on Monday,"

"It's a henna tattoo, nothing permanent," Tina grinned at him. "My parents would kill me if I got a real tattoo," she watched him still watching her back intently. She wondered what he was thinking. "My cousin is a design major, and she's trying to earn some extra cash by doing henna tattoos on the side. I kind of was her experiment over the weekend. I have a few more,"

To say that Mike wasn't interested where exactly these tantalizing henna designs were located would have been a lie. He sat up and looked at her with interest. "You do?"

Grinning cheekily, Tina leaned into him. "You want to find out?"

"I want to see," Mike told her, mentally breathing a sigh of relief that he was still alive. He figured that perhaps, it wasn't much of a big deal after all. Apparently, Tina found his curiosity highly amusing. And by the looks where this as all leading to, it definitely paid off to be curious once in a while.

Tina laughed. "And this has been bothering you all week?" she asked, while shifting in her position and turning her back towards him. She heard him chuckle.

"I was worried that you'd take this in the wrong way, or something," he confessed, while watching her move.

"Aren't you cute?" Tina laughed and looking over her shoulder, she made a face at him. Looking down, she held the hem of her t-shirt and lifted it, revealing her back to Mike. And on her left hip, resting just where her black pleated skirt began, a delicate drawing of a butterfly could be seen. Though the black ink was still clearly visible, it was clear that it slowly began to fade.

Mike imagined something along the lines of a dragon or a skull. But than again, with Tina, one could never be sure. He chuckled and looked amused at the dainty butterfly. Without warning, his hand brushed against her hip and traced the little creature. He smiled when he felt her shudder. "I never imagined you were a butterfly kind of girl,"

"It's cute," Tina said rather breathlessly after she felt his fingers graze her hips. Pushing aside her hair, she revealed another henna design on the nape of her neck. A simple swirly sun, which looked rather crooked. "My cousin kind of went overboard with the practice,"

"I can see," Mike chuckled, taking in the crooked sun on her neck. He brushed her hair back into place and grinned at her when she shifted again and face him. "More?"

"Just one last," Tina blushed and felt her blood roar in her ears. Leaning back a bit and resting her back against the couch, she lifted the hem of her t-shirt and shimmied down slightly her skirt. Resting just on her right hipbone was an intricate Chinese character design that both of them knew very well. Love.

Mike swallowed, finally realizing the intimacy of this moment. From staring intently at the all too familiar Chinese character, to her breathless face, he blushed and swallowed. "It's beautiful," he finally said and placed his hand on her hip, and allowed his thumb to dangerously drag itself along the slowly fading ink.

"Yeah," Tina shuddered at his touch and took a sharp intake of breath. She closed her eyes when she felt him lean in. Suddenly it became hard to breathe. The brownies were forgotten.

"I like it," Mike breathed, and a small smile played on his lips as his thumb traced patters on her skin. Taking advantage of the moment, he leaned in and hovered inches from her face.

"Good," Tina whispered, her eyes opened and they were darker than usual. They exchanged soft smiles. "It's for you,"

Mike chuckled breathily and nodded. Closing the distance, he kissed her fully on the lips, pushing himself up against her and allowing his other hand to rest against the nape of her neck. It was a long and languid kiss, that earned him a soft whimper from Tina. With a final nibble on her bottom lip, he pulled away and she gazed up at him with heavy eyelids. He smiled.

"_Wo ai ni_," (I love you)

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Please review and share your (kiss) themes (scenarios). Will try to pick a few.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Hello, my lovelies! Are you all ready for another one-shot of Tina and Mike and all their Asian Fusion glory? Yes? Yes!

First of all, thank you all for your amazing reviews and your wonderful, wonderful story theme suggestions. My plot bunnies were going wild when I read all your amazing ideas. I can't wait to start writing more one-shots with your ideas.

I'm inviting everyone to keep on sending their favorite themes, and story genres. I love to hear what you guys think and want to happen to Tina and Mike. I like the idea of a good story writing challenge. Admittedly, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out a good fight/argument scene for both Tina and Mike. It's kind of difficult to do, especially if they are just so adorable together. Gah. Oh, sweet fluff.

Here's your latest Tina and Mike fix, my lovelies. This is for all the people who have a sweet tooth and like things smexy!

**Disclaimer: **Glee is owned by Fox.

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**Theme: **"Sweets"

One thing Tina found highly amusing about Mike Chang was the fact that he had a sweet tooth. She always thought that guys were not into sweet treats, opting to go for the casual chips and dips instead for the cakes and ice cream. But then again, Mike really wasn't the average guy.

On the occasions when they'd be on a date at their favorite coffee shop, it was usually him who would sneak some bites from her coffee cake. Not that she'd mind, really. He'd compensate with kisses and hugs, and she couldn't really argue with that.

And if Mike's sweet obsession was not surprising enough, it came to an even bigger surprise to Tina (and the entire WMHS populace for that matter) when the school's football team finally won their first game in the season. While the entire school was more than happy over their first victory, the big win came much to Tina's chagrin and Mike's total delight.

A week before the big game, Tina ominously predicted that their team would once again loose against some burly football team called the _Sharks. _It was an easy prediction, thought the young Asian, considering the wonderfully consistent loosing streak the team possessed. A sudden win would seem unlikely.

This, of course, was not taken lightly by Mike, since after all, he was on the football team and he had been working his ass off during practice. He had several bruises as proof. So, with more confidence in his team than he normally possessed, Mike easily countered his girlfriend's prediction of their downfall and predicted a win for his team. He wouldn't say that it would be an amazing win, because he knew that was just pushing his luck.

Challenged, yet incredibly amused by their banter, Tina took on his prediction and offered him a wager. After all, it was a slow Sunday afternoon, and they had nothing better to do than just lounge around in his bedroom and allow time to idly pass by.

Thus their bet took shape. Should the WMHS football team really win, much to Mike's insistence, Tina would bake him a couple of batches of chocolate chip cookies. However, should their team loose, Mike promised that he would take her out for a fancy dinner.

And with the WMHS football team's glorious win earlier this week, it definitely came to no surprise when a scowling Tina Cohen-Chang made her way down the confection aisle at the local supermarket. Beside her, an amused Mike Chang was bouncing on his heels, and following her every step silently.

"You know," began Tina, unimpressed by the way Mike's happiness seemed to practically bounce off of him. "If you smile any longer, your face is going to crack,"

Mike stopped next to her, watching her pick out a pack of chocolate chips from the shelf. "Ah, you're just bitter you lost the bet,"

Tina rolled her eyes and shrugged, dropping the pack of chocolate into her shopping cart. "Let's not linger on that, shall we?" She pushed the cart, continuing down the aisle. "A bet is a bet,"

"Right," Mike looked amused. Though knowing that Tina was putting up just a little disgruntled show, he smiled faintly and rushed up next to her. Kissing her cheek, he took the cart from her hands. "Here, let me,"

She chuckled at the gesture and shoved him playfully. "Smooth," she told him, before turning to another aisle and picking out a pack of flour and sugar. They headed to the dairy section to pick up some milk. Spotting a can of whipped cream, Tina grinned and added it to the cart.

"Whipped cream?" Mike looked surprised.

Tina shrugged. "I like whipped cream. It's good with cookies,"

Looking amused at her sudden fixation for the whipped confection, Mike leaned into her and grinned softly. "And it's good for something else,"

It took a moment to really sink in, and Tina blushed softly at the insinuation and offered him a long, amused stare. She snorted and rolled her eyes when he chuckled in amusement and pulled back. Reaching out, she tugged his ear playfully, grinning triumphantly when he laughed and winced at the same time. "Hush, now,"

Mike laughed and pulled away from her tugging hand. "Just saying," They both shared knowing grins before making their way through the supermarket and picking up the remainder of their ingredients.

About 30 minutes later, the two teens found themselves in the deserted Cohen-Chang household. Both of Tina's parents were off on their second honeymoon, a wedding anniversary gift for themselves after being married for twenty years. This of course left the house to Tina all to herself, which offered a greater opportunity for Mike to stay over more often.

"So, do you bake often?" asked Mike, while he sat by the kitchen counter watching Tina rifle through all the ingredients.

Tina shrugged and pulled her hair into a ponytail to avoid it from getting into the way while they were baking. "Not really. I just help my mom sometimes when she does," she looked slightly amused. "It's not really something I'm very keen about,"

"Yet you still offered to bake for the bet," Mike pointed out.

She smiled at him and opened the bag of flour. "Yeah, well, you like sweet stuff. So I figured…" she looked a bit flustered and she turned her attention to the bag of flour with growing interest.

Mike grinned at her flustered form and felt touched by her gesture. "Thanks, Tee," he told her. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead. "You're the best,"

"I know," She stuck out her tongue at him. Handing him a couple of measuring cups and some of the dry ingredients, she pointed at the items and offered him some instructions on how to measure everything. "And measure carefully," she warned.

"Do you like baking?" asked Mike casually, while dumping half a cup of flour into the mixing bowl. He watched as Tina was busy melting some chocolate chips for the mix. They were making Chocolate-Chocolate Chip cookies, his request.

"It's okay," Tina said while stirring the chocolate. "I kind of like doing it with my mom. It was sort of a mother-daughter thing when I was younger. I kind of liked liking the spoon after the whole baking process," She giggled.

"Nice," Mike offered and they shared a smile. "I usually help my dad when we do our barbeques," He stopped and looked at her, offering a small smile. "You should come over when we have our next barbeque, okay?"

Tina looked at him thoughtfully and then smiled, "Sure," she said. Turning back to the chocolate, she turned off the burner and pulled the silver bowl away from the hot water and set it aside. She turned to Mike and looked at the dry ingredients he measured. "Ready to mix everything?"

He grinned and locked the silver mixing bowl into the mixer. "Yeah," he fiddled around the machine as Tina approached with the butter and eggs.

"Now, don't put it on high or else—"

There was a loud whirring sound signaling that the mixer was turned on full blast, and suddenly a cloud of white smoke filled the air, followed by Tina's loud shriek of surprise and Mike's yell.

"Gah!" Tina cried as the flower, baking soda and sugar settled around them, covering the kitchen counter in a pristine coat of white. She whined when white powder got all over her shirt, and most likely face and hair. "Mike!" she growled, and glared at the confused boy. But her resolve broke when she saw his face covered in white powder and as he tried to make sense of the situation, she thought he looked absolutely adorable. _So much for staying angry._

"Sorry?" Mike shrugged and offered her a sheepish grin. His grin only widened when he took in her amused expression with her face partially covered in white powder. "You look cute,"

"You look like a cheap Asian version of Casper the friendly ghost," Tina told him dryly, but leaned forward and dragged her index finger along his right cheek, leaving a clean line of tan skin in sharp contrast against the white powder.

"Hey!" Mike made a face. Grinning, he reached out and pinched her nose. He laughed when he earned a giggle from her and she tried to pull his offending hand off her nose. Pulling his fingers along her nose, he grinned when her nose was flour-free. "Now you look like somebody with a bad cold,"

Tina rolled her eyes and pinched his arm. "Stop it!" she grinned and laughed when he tried to reach out again and poke her. Momentarily forgetting about their baking task, they wrestled around the kitchen, pinching and poking each other.

"Uncle, uncle!" Tina cried, when Mike had her locked in between his arms and pressed against the kitchen counter. She wriggled around and shrieked when Mike blew sharply against the side of her neck. "Mike!"

Mike laughed and continued to hold her, grinning when she wriggled in his grasp. He struggled when she started moving around and laughing, trying to get her hands free. He let out a bark of surprise when her right hand freed itself from its confines and she reached out for the flour, grabbing a handful and thrusting it just above his head. They both cried out in surprise and he let her go.

"You're going to get it!" Mike laughed as the flour settled all over their hair, and Tina offered him a challenging look as she took a few steps away from him.

"Try me!" she called out with a laugh, and grabbed a handful of granulated sugar. When he made launch for her, she thrust the crystals at him and evaded his tackle.

Grabbing a handful of chocolate chips, Mike laughed and threw them at her, earning a giggle in response as the small chocolate drops bounced off Tina's head. He caught her hands when they made a reach for the flour and the two of them once again wrestle around.

Twisting in his arms, and giggling when his fingers ghosted over her ribcage just where a ticklish spot lay, Tina reached out and dipped her fingers in the now warm chocolate sauce. Grinning wickedly, she twisted in his arms and dragged her chocolate covered hand along his cheek.

"Tina!" Mike whined when the sticky substance slowly dripped down his cheek and onto his t-shirt. He released the giggling girl, and mock-glared at her. His resolve broke when he her playe coy, and in an agonizingly slowly movement, stuck an chocolate coated finger into her mouth and sucked off the sweet sauce. He swallowed and watched her, she was killing him.

Realizing that their little baking session was now well forgotten, Mike was pretty sure that things would get pretty interesting from here on in. And he was sure that Tina knew that as well, especially by the way she was already preparing another chocolate smearing session.

Grinning playfully, Tina laughed and jumped forward and dragged her chocolate coated hands along his neck. Never mind that the sauce was dribbling down her arms, and onto the floor, and virtually every where in the kitchen. With the way they were wrestling around, laughing, and enjoying the moment, it was definitely worth it.

Mike laughed when Tina shrieked as he held her against him locked tightly in one arm. He reached around her, and dipped his hand into the chocolate. "You just wait!" he threatened and chuckled when she cried out in laughter just as his hand touched her cheek and smeared a good helping of warm chocolate all along her cheek and down her neck.

"You're evil!" Tina laughed and she squirmed in his now very chocolate-y embrace. After a few more minutes of wrestling around, pinching, shoving, and chocolate smearing, both of them were very well covered in chocolate.

Grabbing the can of whipped on the counter, Mike ignored the odd sensation of chocolate sliding down his neck and shook the can. He grinned when Tina laughed and took a step back from him. "Now for the finishing touch," he said, eyeing her playfully and successfully pinning her in between his body and the kitchen counter.

Oh, delicious proximity.

Tina wasn't sure if it was the warm chocolate or something else, but the kitchen was definitely getting warmer. As she took uneven breaths, her playful smile faded and she swallowed as Mike towered over her, and offered her with a very intense stare. The cookies were obviously forgotten, and with the way things were going, she wasn't about to complain.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice dropping slightly as she steadied her breathing and her rapidly beating heart. Her gaze dropped to the chocolate that trickled down his neck and into his t-shirt, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. _Oh, boy._

Mike smiled when he watched her gaze drop and her breathing grow unsteady. Not being able to help it, he drew himself up closer to her, and they both took in deep shuddering breaths. _Screw the cookies_, he thought while watching her silently, _this treat was way better_.

"Whipped cream is perfect with everything," he told her, and pulled the can in between their bodies. Their gaze dropped to the can, and she made a little agreeing sound in the back of her throat. The loud fizzing broke the silence in the room and a generous dollop of whipped cream was cradled in hand.

A smile grew on her lips as she stared at the creamy, white mass in his hand. She looked up at him, her eyes dancing in amusement. "You wouldn't,"

He raised an eyebrow in challenge and leaned in, his lips barely ghosting over her chocolate stained cheek. "Oh, I would," he whispered into her ear, grinning in satisfaction when she shuddered underneath him. She gasped when his hand reached up and dragged the whipped cream along the base of her neck up to her right check.

"Mike," she whined and quickly shuddered when his hand returned to her now cream covered neck and held her there. She swallowed and closed her eyes at the sensation when he dragged his thumb up and down the front of her neck.

"Nice," he grinned and tried to steady his breathing when he felt her shudder again in anticipation. Leaning in, his lips ghosted over her partially open mouth once in a feathery kiss that earned a soft sigh from both of them. And just when she was about to lean forward to deepen the kiss, his head dipped and he dragged his lips across her chocolate and whipped cream covered neck. She tasted of sweet chocolate and whipped cream, and he hummed in appreciation.

Throwing her head back at the sinfully blissful sensation, Tina whimpered and went slack in his arms. She was sure her knees buckled underneath her just as she felt his tongue drag along her pulse point. He supported her against the kitchen counter, pushing her up against it further and she held onto him around his shoulders for dear life, dragging her hands through his hair.

She whimpered and moaned softly, as he pulled back, and stared at him with hooded eyes, breathing deeply and gripping his shoulders tightly. "The bet," she mumbled, as he dove in again and captured her lips in a hungry kiss. He tasted like chocolate and whipped cream. Her world started reeling, this was sinful.

"This," Mike mumbled against her lips and softly groaned as her nimble hands slipped under his shirt and danced across his waist. "I'm taking this as my treat,"

She whimpered softly as a sticky hand slipped underneath her shirt, and she dove towards his neck and licked the trickle of chocolate, nipping at the skin and earning a low groan from him. She grinned into his skin and felt him push up against her. "I can live with that,"

He caught her lips again in a long, toe curling kiss, tasting the sweet chocolate on her tongue. And Mike realized then, just as he fumbled with the clasp of her bra, that while baking with Tina was fun, it was the cleaning up part that was better. They needed to place bets like these more often.

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Leave a review and tell me what you think. Share your story suggestions and your dream theme and genre.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Hello my loves, how are we today? I hope you're all up for another Tina/Mike one-shot and all their adorable goodness.

I got loads and loads of themes over the past few days, and I am just so happy! These themes and prompts just get me going and make me want to write more! I can't wait to give the different themes and genres a try – and maybe try to crank up the story ratings up a bit for those who like smut. (Though I have yet to write smut, but I will be up for the challenge!)

So for more stories, send in your request and themes, and I'll do my best to write something for you. I'm having a great time writing. Don't forget to review and share your views after reading.

**Disclaimer: **Glee is owned by Fox.

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**Theme: **"Blackout"

Lima, Ohio was hit with a minor power crisis. For the past week, rotational blackouts would occur throughout the district, cutting off the power supply in certain areas in town. Reportedly, this would cut back on power consumption until one of the energy supply grids in the town would be fixed.

Local officials announced that the energy situation would be back on track by the end of the week, but nobody really trusted their official word. Businesses had been severely affected by the power loss, with restaurants loosing their customers and food going to waste. Other establishments without emergency power generators would be left with little to do but to close shop for the day and miserably watch as another day would go to waste.

William McKinely High School was no exception. With the school constantly tightening its belt and slashing budgets left and right, the school was left with a few emergency power generators that would only offer electricity to selected parts of the school – namely the Cheerio's headquarters, Sue Sylvester's office, the science laboratory, and a few emergency lights here and there.

Since blackouts only spelled disaster, WMHS' New Directions saw to it that they spent their electricity-filled day wisely. While their choir room offered enough lighting through their windows, not the same could be said about the auditorium, which was a closed in structure with naturally no windows. Should a blackout occur while in the auditorium, visibility is close to zero.

"Okay, guys," called out Mr. Shuester from the bottom of the auditorium's stage after having seen the first half of the club's rendition of _Beat it _by Michael Jackson. "Let's try to do it again, this time with a little more energy,"

"It's kind of hard to add a little more energy when half of the town is without it, Mr. Shue," pointed out Finn, smiling crookedly in amusement.

"That, and it's stifling hot in here," lamented Santa, looking slightly annoyed and adjusting her top to allow some air to pass through it. "I'm all for a sauna, but this just takes the cake,"

Mr. Shuester sighed, running a hand over his forehead and wiping the sweat from it. He had to agree, it was getting a bit stuffy already. Figgins must have cut off the air conditioning just to cut on the electricity consumption. "I know the blackouts have been affecting us all," he began, while trying to appease the disgruntled group. "But things will be back to normal before our invitationals,"

Tina didn't look convinced, and leaned back on the high risers where she stood with Quinn and Mercedes. Leaning against the steel railings while trying to put some pressure off her heeled feet, she sighed. "That's what the mayor said last week," she mumbled. "This stinks,"

"Don't worry," Mike grinned up at her having overheard her. He sent her a charming grin and winked. "There'll still be enough electricity around for me to take you out for dinner and a movie, any day,"

Tina laughed, and both of them ignored the rest of the on going discussions about their performance. Leaning over the railings, she grinned at Mike. "So, tonight?"

"Tonight," he nodded and smiled at her, watching her blush faintly and giggle. Mike grinned and stuffed his hands into his pockets, smiling up at her and both maintaining silent eye contact.

"Would you two stop with the eye sex already?" hollered Puck, grinning smugly as both Tina and Mike looked extremely flustered.

"We weren't—"

"We didn't—"

"While your deep rooted affections for each other are extremely heartwarming and very much like a blockbuster movie romance, given with your wonderful chemistry and all, it is with upmost importance that both of you must know that we currently need to focus on the task at hand, and that is our rehearsals. We cannot, and you must not, be sidetracked by your teenage, hormonal needs, or as Noah has kindly called it, 'eye sex'," Rachel told them, looking sternly at an embarrassed Tina and a stumped Mike.

"But," Tina tried to defend what ever dignity they may have left but Mr. Shuester called their attention and everybody was back into their original positions. She sent a quiet glare at Puck, who grinned at her in response. Beside her on the steel risers, Mercedes snickered.

Beside from the tiny scandalous hick up of alleged 'eye sex,' rehearsals went on smoothly. Everybody was able to master the difficult dance routines choreographed by Mike and Brittany, and their pitch was deemed favorable by both Mr. Shuester and Rachel.

They were currently deep within their second round of rehearsals, when all of the sudden a blackout hit the auditorium and everybody was thrown into darkness as the band's music slowly faded out. A chorus of colorful curses filled the room, thanks to Puck, and loud shrieks from the girls as nobody could see anything.

"Okay, guys," Mr. Shuester called out through the noisy complains. "Nobody move, we do not want any accidents to happen on –"

His warning came just a little too short as a loud crash could be heard along with the ominous rattle of steel and a loud shriek. Colorful curses filled the air, as well as cries from the girls that were on the risers.

"Ah, shit!"

"Tina!" Quinn called out into the darkness as she felt the risers shake and both she and Mercedes held on to the steel railings to keep their footing. It seemed like the small Asian girl feel straight through the gaps of the steel risers just now.

There was a chorus of concerned calls as everybody scrambled through the dark auditorium trying to make it towards wherever the risers were situated. Noisy calls and curses filled the air as people bumped into each other, and Artie possibly ran over Finn's feet.

"Nobody move, and just quiet down for a second!" shouted Mr. Shuester as he ambled towards the stage, feeling his way towards it. He heard everybody still and there was a heavy silence that filled the room, apart from the distinct whimpers coming from the back of the stage.

"Tina?" Mike called out, concern coming over his senses and cold fear rushed through his body. From where he stood he could hear faint sounds of movements and deep breathing. He swallowed, hoping that she was alright.

"I—I'm okay," her voice sounded strained, slightly in pain. "I just fell, and…ah, shit," she whimpered and there were sounds of movements. "It hurts,"

By some miracle, Mr. Shuester had climbed his way to the stage. Breathing deeply, worried of the wellbeing of his student, he tried to squint through the darkness but found nothing. "The emergency lights should be coming on soon, we'll get you out of there in no time,"

And true enough, two emergency lights came to life on either side of the auditorium casting an eerie glow over the stage. The club sighed in relief and quickly turned towards the risers, where the crumpled form of Tina lay beneath them.

"Tina," Mike rushed towards her, running towards the risers and sliding down to his knees as he reached the support beams. "Tee, babe, you okay?" he asked her, worry written all over his face as he reached through the gaps and touched her shoulder.

"Hey," Tina smiled at him shakily, while leaning heavily on her elbows. Both of her legs were extended in front of her, and she lay there trying to put pressure off her backside. She winced when she tried to move towards him. "I'm okay,"

"You're bleeding," said Kurt, while huddling next to Finn and Puck as they tried to find a way to pull the fallen girl out from underneath the steel contraption. "That will definitely stain,"

She felt a trickle of blood run down the side of her face and she winced, as she remembered that she may have hit her head somewhere. "It will?" she asked, while trying to process what happened.

"We will pull you out now, okay, Tee?" Mike told her softly, while reaching in and grabbing hold of her right under her arms. He felt her mumble an okay, and he signaled for Puck and Finn to get ready on his sides. Considering that she did not weigh much, they pulled her out with ease and settled her on his lap.

Tina felt somebody press something against her forehead and people were fussing about her. She swatted a hand away as it tried to loosen some buttons on her t-shirt to help her breathe. "I'm okay," she said, while holding onto Mike's arms. It felt incredibly nice to be nestled in them.

"Ask her if the year is 2009," suggested Brittany, while leaning over Tina with a curious expression. "Maybe she forgot that it's 2009, and she has amnesia now,"

"Brit, it's 2010, not 2009," Artie offered.

"It is?"

"Tina we need to take you to the nurse's office," informed Mr. Shuester while watching the boys help Tina try to stand. "Can you walk?"

She winced when Mike slowly stood up and Finn tried to help her stand. She nodded at Mr. Shuester and leaned heavily on Mike. And just when she placed pressure on her right foot, she yelped out in pain and stumbled forward, latching onto Finn and Mike for support. Ignoring the cries of her classmates, Tina whimpered and closed her eyes at the overwhelming pain from her ankle as it radiated to her back. Her head throbbed and suddenly, everything just started to spin.

"Tee," Mike breathed in worry and stumbled with her, holding her tightly around the waist and trying to keep their footing.

"My foot," she winced through the haze of pain and blinked back tears. She feebly lifted her right leg in hopes of avoiding any further contact. It throbbed painfully with vengeance.

"Here," Mike pulled her up, and with a little swoop, scooped her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. Her arms went around his neck and he heard her whimper, prompting him to tighten his hold around her. He felt his heart beat rapidly, and he faintly wondered if it was because of what just happened to Tina.

"I think I can walk," muttered Tina, as Mike cradled her and she blushed at the sudden attention. Mercedes hovered over her, holding something against the gash on her forehead and wildly talking to Kurt about suing the school for damages.

"Unless you want to permanently damage your leg, you better just have Mike carry you," said Santana, eyeing the fallen girl sternly. "Trust me, I know a sprained ankle when I see one,"

Tina nodded numbly and averted her gaze from the stern Latina, and instead looked up at Mike who had his face drawn into deep concentration as he maneuvered her through the stage. She swallowed and felt tears of frustration slowly well up in her eyes. This shouldn't have happened to her, and he shouldn't be carrying her around right now. Her grip tightened around his neck and she sniffed softly.

Hearing the small sniffle, and feeling the sudden pressuring around his neck, Mike looked down at Tina and watched as her face grew slowly red. His gaze softened and he pulled her closer, trying to comfort her. "It'll be better," he whispered, and briefly ducked down and kissed her forehead.

Believing him, and relieved at the comforting gesture, Tina nodded and blinked back the tears. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her ankle and her head.

Through the eerie glow of the emergency lights, they somehow managed to find their out of the auditorium and into the school's hallway, which was still fairly lit from the afternoon glow of the sun that filtered through the school's windows. They noisily made their way through the hallway, fussing over Tina and running over students who had loitered after school hours.

By some miracle, the school finally found a new nurse to run their clinic. The group noisily barged into the clinic, everyone except the injured Tina talking about the accident and their demands that their injured member be treated immediately. Their ruckus was not taken lightly by the nurse, who later threw everybody out of her clinic so that she could tend to the injured girl in peace.

An hour later they found Tina on the clinic bed, sporting a nice bruise on the left side of her face with a small band aid covering the gash on her forehead. Her right foot was raised and a cold compress was placed against it. A pair of silver crutches rested against her bed.

"It's a sprained ankle," the nurse told them, as everybody hovered over the girl. "Don't walk on it for at least two weeks, or else it'll get worse," she warned and prescribed Tina painkillers and some medicine.

"But the invitationals," Rachel looked horror struck.

"Don't even start," Kurt glared at her, making the petite girl shut up instantly.

"How are you feeling , Tina?" asked Mr. Shuester, while watching Tina shift on her bed and slowly try to sit up.

"Like I got run over by a bus," Tina smiled crookedly and winced as she sat up. The painkillers had yet to kick into effect and her back was killing her. "I think I want to go home now,"

"I'll drive you home," Mike offered and helped her sit up. He looked at Mercedes and Kurt, smiling slightly at them. "Could you help us with her things?"

Nodded, the two quickly grabbed Tina's bag and her new set of crutches. Turning back to Tina, Mike smiled at her and gestured that he'd carry her. Ignoring her wide eyes and the blush, he unceremoniously plucked her off the bed and cradled her against his chest. "Don't bother trying to walk now,"

With the help of Kurt and Mercedes, they managed to bring Tina to his car and safely tuck her into the passenger's seat. And after 10 minute drive from school, Mike had successfully driven the injured girl back to her home.

"I'm fine, Mom," he listened to Tina talk to her mother over her phone just as he parked his car in front of her home. "Mike just drove me home, everything's okay,"

Mike patiently waited for Tina to finish her conversation with her parents. He knew that both of her parents were out of town at the moment, since her mother joined her father on a business trip in California.

"It's a sprained ankle, dad," informed Tina, while sighing tiredly. She winced when she leaned back in her seat and offered Mike a tired smile as she listened to her father on the other end. "It was just a minor accident, I fell off the risers. Nothing big," She nodded and made agreeing sounds to her father. "Okay, I will dad. Thanks, I'll see you in a few days, and I'll call you when I have any problems," There was distant chatter over the phone and Tina smiled slightly. "Okay, yes dad. I'll tell him," she looked at Mike. "Okay. Tell mom I love her. Bye dad, I love you,"

Mike watched her drop her phone into her lap and sigh loudly. "Everything okay?" he asked her, while eyeing her worriedly. Placed his hand over hers and offered a comforting squeeze.

"My dad says thank you for being there for me," Tina told him, while smiling softly at Mike. Covering her hand over his, she squeezed his hand and leaned back in her seat and watched him contently. "Thanks,"

Mike smiled, his heart suddenly soaring at the sudden message from her father. Considering how overprotective her father was, it meant the world to him. Leaning forward, he kissed Tina lovingly on the temple, just below where a blue bruise was forming. "No problem, babe,"

She smiled at the sensation and closed her eyes. Feeling tired and with her head and foot still throbbing dully, she sent him a soft look. "Can you carry me inside?"

"I'd love to," Mike smiled and swooped down to kiss her temple again dotingly. He grinned when he got a giggle in response. Carrying her was not much of a problem, but getting the door open was. They fumbled around the front door for a moment, laughing loudly when he refused to set her down momentarily to open her front door. So with floundering hands, they somehow managed to open her door and he stumbled into her house. After depositing her on her living room couch, he quickly went back outside to retrieve their bags and her crutches from his car.

"I'll make you a compress for your leg, and something to eat, okay?" Mike told her, as he returned with their things and deposited them in the living room. He disappeared into the kitchen, having grown quite familiar with the Cohen-Chang household, and returned a little while later with a plate of cookies and a cold compress for her ankle.

Tina was silently dozing off as Mike returned into the living room and placed the plate of cookies on the small coffee table. Settling down next to her on the couch, he carefully placed the compress over her ankle as it was propped up on the table. Throwing an arm around the slumped form, he smiled and pulled her carefully into his embrace.

"I think the painkillers are taking effect," she mumbled into his chest, snuggling closer and hugging him. "Everything is just so nice right now,"

Mike chuckled and rubbed her shoulder soothingly. "Is it now?" He gave her shoulder a little squeeze and sighed in worry. "Do you want me to stay over? My mom said she'll drop by and bring us some dinner, since you're incapacitated for the time being," He looked around her house for a moment before continuing. "I figured you might need a little help getting around while your parents are gone,"

Muddled slightly by the painkillers, Tina smiled up at Mike and propped her chin against his chest. Her eyes sparkled mischievously and she leaned into him. "I do might need a little help,"

Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Mike looked at her in mild interest. "Like?"

She shrugged smiling, playing coy. "Getting up the stairs? Cooking dinner? Getting me to school? Giving me a shower?"

"Giving you a shower?" Mike blushed and stared at her wide eyed.

A small bark of laughter escaped her lips and she leaned away from him, settling against the couch once again and giggling once more. Turning her head towards him and taking in his bemused face, she gave him a playful look. As she held his long gaze, an interesting image crossed her mind, and she partially blamed her muddled mind for it. Reaching out, she tugged his face closer to her own, and watched him smirk slowly. "A cold shower,"

Settling over her, though careful of her sprained ankle, Mike leaned in and hovered over face, grinning when she looked up at him in mild amusement. "What would your dad say?" he asked just above whisper, his breath ghosting over her face.

Tina giggled in amusement, once again silently blaming the pain medication, and threw her arms around his neck and settled comfortably against the couch. "I think," she began slowly, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I think we can keep that little information between us,"

Mike felt her fingers thread through his hair, and he grinned, leaning down and placing his forehead against her own. He closed his eyes and enjoyed their close proximity, listening to her breathing. Thinking back to the day's event, he was glad that she did not suffer from a major injury. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he opened his eyes and looked down at her lovingly. "You had me so worried," he whispered.

Tina remained silent and watched him for a moment, before feeling herself tear up slowly at his overwhelming concern, and realizing that nobody (aside from her parents) really showed so much love and concern towards her than him. She removed her right hand from around him and slipped it up to his cheek, relishing the warm feeling against it. She smiled up at him, and offered him a watery smile. "Thank you," she mumbled. "Thank you for taking care of me,"

Staring at each other for another moment, Mike smiled and slowly captured her lips in a slow and heartfelt kiss. It was sweet and passionate at the same time, as both of them savored the intimate moment they shared. Pulling away, he looked down at her and smiled at her lovingly. "I love you,"

Her thumb grazed his cheek, and she leaned up to peck him on the lips briefly. "I love you too, Mike,"

Grinning goofily, Mike dipped back down for another kiss, this time more languid and passionate than the one before. Nipping her bottom lip and running his tongue against her own, he heard her sigh in content and whimper softly. Pulling back, he smirked at her playfully and kissed her jaw.

"So, now, about that shower?"

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Please leave a review and share a theme!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **As promised, to make up for the Glee draught and our love for Tina/Mike ninja background moments, here is another story for you guys. I hope you'll enjoy this one-shot.

Thank you too for all the themes and prompts that you have sent in. I'm excited to tackle of them, they kept me busy as I wait for work to start for me next month. Hopefully I can go through most of them even while at work. I'm sure they'll keep me sane. And I'm looking forward to getting more story prompts from you guys, so that we can keep the inspiration and drive for Tike going.

I'm interested in the smut response for Tike, so it may come in the future. It'll be posted as a separate story though, not under this arc because of the story rating.

Please send in your themes and story prompts if you want your favorite Tina/Mike scene be played out. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and feel free to review and comment after reading!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

**Theme: **"Water"

The Cheerios had won the Nationals, which came as not much of a surprise. The additional win was expected, especially with a maniacal Sue Sylvester at the reigns. And with Kurt Hummel's astounding Celine Dion number throughout the entire performance, their win was in the bag.

Thus the need for a celebration, or an 'f-ing house party' as Puck had aptly called it. So with Burt Hummel conveniently out of town for a car convention in Cleveland, the Hummel household had been turned into a mini-party zone. However, with Kurt Hummel as a party host, the drunken, sleaze fest was kept at a minimum and chic and sophistication was turned up a few notches.

Not many were invited, considering that not many were friends with Kurt and the rest of his friends. In attendance were a couple of Cheerios who brought along a few jocks (that were more civilized than Karofsky and Aizimo), a few classmates, and the entire Glee Club. As everybody celebrated and danced, people were nursing cocktails (courtesy of Kurt and Mercedes) and beers (courtesy of Puck and Matt, much to Kurt's horror).

As the rest of the guests, the more popular once, were busy hanging around in the hallways or foyer, the Glee Club kids were huddled together in one corner of the living room right next to the glass doors that led towards the pool area. They were busy laughing and sharing embarrassing stories and jokes.

"And after taking a scratch, he totally sniffed his finger," Puck's grin couldn't be any wider as everybody cringed and made sounds of disgust. When Santana shot him a look of disgust, he grinned even more and took a swig from his beer. "Tanaka is just foul, man,"

"Dude," Finn breathed, a look of total amazement and disgust crossed his face as he stared wide-eyed at Puck. "That's just wrong,"

Quinn glared. "You're grossing out my baby,"

"I think Santana smells good," announced Brittany, beaming brightly before leaning against the smug Latina.

Everybody shot the blonde cheerleader a confused look before going back to their conversation. Kurt sent them a long glance, before taking a tentative sip of his appletini. "I'd appreciate if we'd all move along with this mindless conversation and settle on something more substantial," he said, while leaning back in the plush sofa.

"Sex," announced Puck.

Rachel frowned. "Teenage recklessness and their poor choices is not a favored topic, Noah,"

"C'mon, this is like the best thing ever," Puck teetered slightly as he sat on the armrest of the recliner where Quinn sat. He winced when she elbowed him harshly. "Babe,"

"Perhaps recent developments on Broadway may be more substantial. With more shows closing, the possibilities of employment is slimming for us," said Rachel, looking a bit worried.

Everybody chose to ignore Rachel and Mercedes somehow managed to salvage the conversation, and started talking about the latest music and fashion in Hollywood. Kurt, and even Santana and Brittany, jumped into the conversation.

And as the guys started talking about girls and hot teachers, Tina slowly started to loose interest. Her gaze briefly scanned the group, slightly amazed at how everybody seemed to have bonded together over the span of the school year. She stared at Artie for a moment, and her heart sank slightly as she remembered how things have turned out for them. After a tumultuous relationship and "Stuttergate," they were back to being friends – at a very awkward level, which was weird and painful at the same time.

Bored, she shifted her attention to the rest of the house where the party seemed to continue with people talking and dancing across the house. She faintly wondered if Kurt was okay with all of this and she spotted a jock and a Cheerio kissing in the hallway. Cradling her half empty beer, she idly listened to everything that was going on around her before increasingly loosing interest to everything. This definitely was not her thing.

Sparing the group a brief glance, she quickly excused herself from the group, claiming for a bath break and hurried down the hallway. She frowned when she passed the kissing couple, and she swore they started humping each other. "Get a room," Tina muttered darkly. Rounding the corner, she quickly found another door that led to the backyard. Without a second thought, she disappeared through the doors and into the night.

Tina sighed in relief as she found herself away from the loud music and chatter from the inside, and allowed the evening wind to cool her senses. The noise from the inside was muted and distant, and it seemed comforting to be away from it all. Smiling silently to herself, she walked around the house and towards the Hummel's big pool. With the little waterfall installed in the pool, the sound of trickling water was incredibly soothing.

The good thing about wearing black clothes was the fact that they allow you to easily blend into the background. Dressed in a formfitting black sweater that ended just above her knees and fell over her right shoulder and a pair of black jeans, Tina scurried through the dimly lit pool area and tried to avoid being seen through the glass doors by the living room. Kurt wasn't too keen of guests loitering by the pool.

Settling right next to little waterfall and placing her beer next to her, Tina removed her sneakers and socks. She spared the glass doors a brief glance, checking if anybody had spotted her, before rolling up her jeans up to her knees and dipping her feet into the cool water. Smiling, Tina relaxed by the water and silently swayed her feet in the pool, enjoying the soothing sounds of treading water and the waterfall.

Tina checked her watch, it was little after 10. She'd leave in an hour or so perhaps. Sparing a glance at the half empty beer glass next to her, she figured she wasn't anywhere near drunk to be worried about her parents. Deciding to just sit out the rest of the party here, Tina idly ran her hand through the waterfall and enjoyed the feel of cold water running against her hand.

"Hey,"

Tina jumped and her hand slipped further into the stream of falling water, soaking her sleeve. Squeaking, she pulled her hand away from the water and turned to look at a Mike Chang. He stood a few feet away from her, staring at her with a mildly amused expression.

"Mike!" she breathed, staring up at him with a look of surprise and confusion. Offering him a small smile, she quickly turned her attention back to her wet sleeve and rolled up the sweater up to her elbow. Amused, she placed her hand back under the stream and felt the water run against it. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same question," she heard him say, sounding amused.

She chuckled softly and turned to look over her shoulder, staring up at him. He was holding a can of soda, and he watched her with interest as a small smile played on his lips. She smiled at him and turned her attention back to the water, watching it rush past her hands and into the pool. For a moment, a comfortable silence fell upon the two as she continued to watch the water and he seemed content just watching her.

"Are you just going to stay here the entire time?" he asked her finally.

Tina shrugged, not really sure. "Maybe," she replied, while turning her hand under the stream and feeling the water against the back of her hand. She smiled as the water beads rolled down her skin. They grew quiet again, the sounds of water and the muted party tunes filling the air. It was a few moments later before she continued. "The party really isn't my thing," she finally confessed.

"I see," Mike said, and he shifted from where he stood. He tentatively walked up to her and looked down, watching her look at the water intently. She looked content yet there was a hint of melancholy in the air. He wondered if he was intruding her moment, but decided he wanted to keep her company. Slowly, he sat down next to her, folding his legs underneath him and settling his soda next to her beer.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" he looked at her, surprised.

Tina looked at him, watching him settle down next to her. "Why are you out here?"

"Oh," Mike smiled slightly, blushing softly under her stare and turning his attention to the middle of the blue pool. "Matt and the other guys are talking about sex, and Kurt and the girls were talking about boys and clothes. I thought I'd take a break from all of that,"

Tina laughed softly, amused by his confession. She pulled her hand away from the water and dropped her wet hand into her lap, not minding that it got wet. She continued to slowly kick the water, creating small ripples in the pool. "Things got a bit crowded for me inside. I'm sure I saw a couple having sex in the hallway,"

Mike laughed. "I think I saw them too,"

Tina made a face and frowned at him. "Ugh," she breathed. "I told them to get a room,"

Mike chuckled and watched the ripples in the pool. "I don't think Kurt would appreciate it if strangers would start having sex in his house,"

Tina laughed and nodded, amused at the mental image of an enraged Kurt screaming about soiled linens and body fluids. "Not a pretty sight," she giggled and looked at Mike. She smiled when he shared an amused smile with her. After staring too long, noting that Mike particularly looked good tonight, she blushed and turned back to staring intently at the water.

Mike smiled slightly, blushing when he realized that she was staring, and turned back to the water as well. "So," he breathed, trying to come up with a conversation.

Nothing really came to mind at the moment, as the noise of the water lulled them and a comfortable silence fell upon them. Tina looked at her feet through the clear water, wiggling her black-painted toes and smiling in amusement. With everything that was going on right now, she felt oddly at peace.

Mike shifted in his seat next to her and turned to her. "Is this awkward to you?"

Tina stopped kicking the water and looked at him, surprised. She blinked and tried to think of an answer and watched his curious face. A small smile graced her lips. "No," she said, and she felt relieved when Mike smiled too. "To you?"

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and smiled. "Nah,"

Tina smiled and nodded, holding onto the ledge of the pool she softly kicked the water, relishing the feel of cold water against her feet and the comfortable silence between them. She tried to think of something to say, but found herself drawing a blank. Stealing a glance at Mike, she saw him blankly stare at the water.

"How…how are you and Artie?"

Her feet stilled and she felt something inside of her leap. Tina blinked, trying to forget the bitter feeling. She tried to think of something to say, as she suddenly grew uncomfortable, and intently watched the water.

"I'm sorry," Mike looked at her, his eyes widened and looking flustered. "I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business, I'm sorry,"

"No, it's okay," Tina said in a rush and turned to him, trying to stop him from standing up and possibly leaving. She watched him settle back down slowly. "I…we…It's okay," she finally settled. She watched him look at her intently, and Tina offered Mike a rueful smile and turned back to watching the water. "I think we're friends. It's," she paused, trying to think of a good word. "Complicated,"

"I'm sorry," Mike watched her smile sadly at the water.

"I don't know," Tina shrugged, trying to throw the whole thing off. "I guess, we're just friends. And I think, that's what we will be…which, I think, is okay," she said, her voice slightly dropping. Guilt suddenly filled her and she remembered her lies. "He isn't very happy with what I did…and I guess, I'm not very happy about it either," she laughed bitterly, at the sudden irony.

Mike's brows furrowed. "You did?"

Tina turned her attention back to him, watching him with interest and wondering if he ever took notice that she lost her stutter. "My stutter was fake,"

His eyes widened slightly, as realization dawned on him and he watched her rueful smile. He breathed deeply and nodded slowly. "Oh," he said.

Tina shrugged and turned back to the water, suddenly embarrassed. "I was just so shy. I thought a stutter would push people away from me, and it did. Everybody thought I was a freak, and nobody bothered me. Now, I realize how much I was missing,"

Mike looked at her, amazed at her confession. "What I think," he began, after a moment of silence. He spared her a tentative glance, watching as she turned to look at him. "I think, what you did was a good thing. I think, you learned something and grew up a little bit. I guess we are all entitled to do mistakes, and at least you learned something about yourself. You're opening up more, and you're becoming yourself, that's what's important,"

The sounds of water filled the air, and Tina just watched Mike with an air of silent amazement. She swallowed and processed his words, and suddenly things felt slightly better. A small smile graced her lips and she stared at him.

Mike shifted. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that,"

Tina shook her head and sat up. "No, no," she said, she smiled slightly. "No. You're right. You have a point," she smiled at him. "The past weeks I've been feeling really guilty about everything, I didn't look at it that way,"

"It's okay to feel guilty," Mike shrugged. "It's part of the coping process. But you shouldn't forget about yourself as well,"

She felt as if she was seeing him in a new light, beyond the jock persona and the dancing prodigy in glee club. Tina's smile grew. "Thanks, Mike,"

He blushed and scratched his nose. Taking a nervous swig from his soda, his gaze nervously drifted to the water again. "Ah, well," he shrugged.

Tina giggled. "Who would have thought you're so wise,"

Mike coughed when he started choking on his soda. Blushing, he turned to Tina. "I don't know about that," he laughed nervously.

She laughed and shook her head. They stilled again as Tina silently sipped her beer and he nursed his soda. Turning back to the steady stream of water next to her, she absently stuck her hand back under the water and allowed the water to run over her hands. She smiled at the comforting feeling.

"Do you like getting wet?" Mike asked they moved on from the previous topic, putting everything behind them and settling with the present. He smiled when he watched Tina blush and small jets of water settled on her jeans and sweater.

"I, uh," Tina blushed and jerked her hand, squeaking as a good amount of water rolled down her arm and into her sweater, soaking her left side. "I kind of like the feeling of water against the skin. I like how it just rolls down your skin. It's soothing,"

Mike looked amused. "Are you a fish, or something?"

Tina laughed and shook her head. When she heard him laugh, she grinned and flicked her wet hand at him, sending a few droplets of water at his face. She giggled when she heard him cry out in protest. "Serves you right,"

"Okay, okay!" Mike laughed, and wiped the water off his face. He grinned when she looked at him, smiling brightly. He brightened when he saw her look happier compared to her quiet little self earlier. This was the Tina he saw more often in the hallways in school. The Tina who slowly caught his interest.

Tina giggled and settled back down, though not without quickly flicking another small jet of water at him. They shared amused smiles, content with the current setup. "So how's football?" she asked absently.

Mike shrugged nonchalantly, looking disinterested. "Nothing much," he said. "Still suck,"

Tina made a face. "I still can't believe Puck mooned the opposing team last week,"

He laughed at the memory. "We lost, but that definitely was a good one,"

She shook her head. "I don't know how he does that,"

"That's Puck to you," Mike laughed. He looked at her curiously, sending her an amused smile.

Tina laughed and nodded her head in agreement as thoughts of all of Puck's crazy ideas came to mind. She kicked the water in amusement. Suddenly feeling more 'alive' at the moment, her grin widened and she spared a glance at the glass doors, noting that Kurt and the rest were pretty much too oblivious of what was happening outside. Swallowing and her heart beating wildly in her chest, she turned to Mike. "Do you want to go for a swim?"

"W-what?" Mike stared at her, wide eyed and blushing suddenly. He watched her pull out her house keys and phone from her pockets and placed them safely away from the pool. "Now?" he asked while watching her shift in her seat, and just about to jump into the pool. "Are you…are you drunk?"

Tina laughed and shook her head. "No!" she giggled at him, a sudden rush of thrill coming over her. "That was just half a glass anyway. Are you?"

"Soda," He held up his can. "I'm driving home,"

"C'mon," Tina grinned at the sudden rush of feelings. Giggling in excitement, she then hoisted herself off the ledge and with a noisy splash, dunked herself into the water, disappearing underneath it in a mess of black. Seconds later, she emerged gasping for breath and laughing brightly. "It's cold!"

Mike watched her in astonishment as she looked up at him, her eyes shining brightly and her laughter filling the air as she egged him to join her. Caving in, he laughed and pulled out his car keys and phone from his pocket. Shedding his jacket and his shoes, he sat by the ledge and watched her. "Kurt's going to kill us!"

Tina laughed and swam towards him. Reaching out, she grabbed his arm and tugged him playfully. "That's what makes it more exciting!" she laughed and tugged harder. And with a laugh, he fell off the ledge and into the water, submerging them both at the impact.

They broke the surface, gasping loudly for air and laughing at each other. "God, Tina. It's cold!" Mike breathed, while pushing away his hair that stuck to his face. He grinned when she struggled with her long hair and sloppily pushed everything over her head.

"Isn't it great," Tina laughed and swam around him, and playfully nudged him forward.

"You're like fish," Mike laughed and swam towards her, trying to grab her arm and pull her underwater. He laughed when she dove underwater and made a grab for his legs. Diving, he joined her under the water and made a face at her foiled attempt of pulling his leg.

The soft glow from the pool lights offered a muted soft blue glow underwater, and everything looked quiet and at peace. Tina floated in front of Mike, a halo of black and muted colors, and she grinned widely at him. Caught by the sudden image, he momentarily stared at her, mesmerized. He watched as her smile suddenly grew softer and she turned, swimming away from him and breaking the surface for air. With is heart hammering in his chest, he quickly joined her at the surface for air.

From the distance where she swam, Tina watched him gasp for air and she swore she could hear her heart beat loudly in her ears. With everything happening so suddenly, she had a hard time understanding what was happening and what she was feeling. But it definitely felt good. Staring at Mike, and blushing as he sent her a rouge smile, she thought he looked incredibly handsome.

They stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily and swimming on the surface. They were comfortable just doing that. That was, until Mike grinned mischievously at her and dove towards her. Tina shrieked loudly as he laughed and grabbed her waist, and pulled them down underwater. They made faces at each other, as they wrestled around underneath the surface.

Their laughter filled the evening air, as they swam in the Hummel's swimming pool. They tugged each other underwater, pulling and wrestling each other underneath the surface, and making faces. Forgetting inhibition and all the fuss of 'Stuttergate,' Tina and Mike grinned wildly and pulled each other underwater, twisting their bodies around each other and cutting through the water.

Mike broke the water first, laughing and breathing heavily, before Tina emerged right in front of him and latched onto his shoulders as she breathed wildly and giggled. She tried to stay above water, as to keep from sinking because of all the laughing she did. "Oh, you did not just try to drown me!" she laughed, and held onto his shoulders.

Mike chuckled breathily, and he held onto her waist. They swam in the water, swimming in circles in the middle of the pool. He grinned goofily at her when he took in her red cheeks and her totally disheveled look. "Oh, but I did," his grin widened. "And I can do it again," and he made a move to dunk them underwater again, to which she shrieked loudly and laughed, throwing her arms around his neck and latching onto him tightly.

"No!"

They didn't go underwater, but instead stayed afloat and in that very position. Her arms were thrown around his neck and her face buried into his wet neck, while he held her tightly around the waist, and they swam in the middle of the pool silently. Their laughter had slowly died down and aside from the noise of water and muted party music, their heavy breathing filled the air.

They seemed to have stilled in the middle of the pool, just keeping afloat and relishing in the feel of their bodies flush against each other. Tina blushed and her heart was beating wildly against her chest, she wondered if he could feel it. She felt him shift against her, and she slowly began to pull her head back and relax in his embrace.

Mike felt his breath catch in his throat, as he stared at Tina with wide eyes, drinking her in and trying to memorize her captured gaze. She looked beautiful with her wild hair, and the way her sweater just dropped off her shoulders and offered a beautiful expanse of white skin. His heart beat wildly and he watched as water rolled down her face and neck. He swallowed and blushed, his mind reeling and his body getting the better of him.

"Tee," he breathed finally, his breath unsteady and his gaze dropping to her partially open lips. He licked his own nervously. "I…I…"

Tina breathed nervously and her cheeks were flushed. She stared into his searching eyes, and she swallowed as his gaze dropped. One of her hands slid to his neck and her fingers curled into the collar of his t-shirt. She moved closer to him, and her gazed dropped, and she breathed in deeply.

"I want to kiss you," he whispered softly when their faces were just a breath away.

She was caught in the mesmerizing moment, at the close proximity and the comforting presence that was just Mike, and she hummed in approval as her nose brushed against his own. And just as she closed her eyes, his cold lips brushed against her own in a tentative and lingering kiss.

Mike felt her sigh softly against his lips and he kissed her slowly, his grip around her tightening and his hand flush against the small of her back. He felt her hands slide up his neck and into his hair, pulling him closer and dipping his face. As he nipped her bottom lip affectionately, water splashed against their faces but that just made it all the more special.

They pulled apart after a while when breathing became an issue and they stared at each other in wonderment. His right hand had wound up around her neck, and he gently traced his thumb along her neck. "Hey," he grinned at her shakily, his eyes twinkling and his heart beating wildly.

"Hi," Tina whispered, her eyes were bright in the dim pool lights.

They shared a small grin, before Mike dipped down and kissed her again. Caught by emotions, Tina caught his lips mid-kiss and they shared a long, heady kiss, eliciting a small whimper from the back of her throat. Before they knew it they swam to the back of the pool, and he pushed her against the pool wall, drawing her flush up against his long body and kissing her hungrily.

"Mike," she whimpered breathily and closed her eyes as the feeling of water and his kisses invaded her senses. Tina clutched his shoulders and drew him closer, kissing him soundly on the lips and drawing a groan from him.

She giggled when he nipped and bit her neck, before kissing her on the lips again. The glorious feeling of his body up against hers was welcoming and comforting, and whatever inhabitations and worries they had earlier were obviously thrown out the window. Tina shivered in excitement as he pushed her further into the wall, and she whimpered into his neck as Mike pressed hot kisses up her jaw.

"What the hell, Tina, Mike?"

Tina and Mike sprang apart, both gasping for breath and staring with wide eyes at an enraged Kurt standing by the poolside. They held onto each other as they slipped in the pool and dropped briefly underwater, before reappearing gasping.

"Kurt!" Tina gasped and giggled nervously, holding onto Mike's shoulders for support. She was feeling light headed and she was sure that she had lost all feeling in her legs.

"Get it, Changster!" Puck cheered loudly from the open glass doors, where the entire Glee Club stood and gaped at the duo in the pool. Kurt loomed over them, staring at Mike and Tina in exasperation.

"God," Mike breathed unsteadily and he momentarily dropped his head against Tina's neck. She giggled in amusement. His head was still reeling from the kiss.

"The pool was supposed to be off limits," Kurt glared and folded his arms in front of his chest. He looked slightly flushed, perhaps after one too many Appletinis. "If you think you two are getting into the house with your wet clothes, then you are both wrong. There is no way that you are leaving a water trail in my house,"

"Sorry, Kurt," Tina giggled, and held onto Mike as they slowly swam towards the ledge.

"Whohoo, pool sex!" Puck cheered loudly.

Kurt looked scandalized and stared at the two. He dropped two towels on one of the pool chairs and eyed the two warily. Huffing, he turned on his heels and lumbered back inside, where he sent Puck a withering glare and shut the glass doors. Though closed, most of the glee clubbers were glued to the spot and tried to spy on the two.

"Busted," Tina breathed, her face flushed and she giggled in amusement when Mike made a face. She smiled when he pulled her back towards him and placed his forehead against her own.

"Very," Mike grinned and placed one of his hands on her flushed cheeks. He stared into her eyes and smiled warmly. "I'll drive you home," he offered.

Tina chuckled and nodded. "Okay," she whispered. She giggled when he kissed her softly on the lips and water splashed around them.

"And, maybe," he began, while pecking her lips. "I can take you out tomorrow for lunch? Yes?"

Tina giggled, feeling giddy, and nodded into his kiss as he nipped her bottom lip. "Yes," she mumbled into him and pulled away, her eyes sparking in delight. "I'd like that,"

"Great," Mike grinned, and they both laughed as they kissed again. They were disturbed when they heard Puck howling in the background, and they blushed. Laughing into the evening, they slowly pulled themselves out of the pool, their clothes completely soaked and heavy with pool water. As they wrapped themselves in Kurt's fluffy towels and began cuddling in one of the pool chairs, Tina realized that tonight's party wasn't so boring after all.

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Feel free to review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: **Here's another Tike update for the day, because I feel that there has been a serious draught of Tina and Mike loving. That needs to be changed people! So to help us get through this serious crisis, here's another Tike one-shot. Seriously, more Tike stories need to be up on this page.

I wrote this down within a day, since I got inspired by the prompts GGB sent me. And there are a lot and I went into a writing frenzy. I'm thoroughly enjoying all the writing I'm doing right now. So if you guys have story ideas, regardless of story rating (Smut or not), feel free to send those in and I'll see what I can do.

Here's the story, guys. After reading, feel free to review, leave a comment or story suggestion.

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

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**Theme: **"Change"

No matter how she tried to look at it, or how she tried to find plausible explanations for what she was feeling, there was no use in denying it: Tina Cohen-Chang felt insecure. And of course, who wouldn't? After all, here she was dating a jock – a jock for heaven's sake! – and she was the freak Goth kid that faked her stutter. And according to the High School social standards, they were the most unconventional couple ever – and most unlikely to last.

So with cheerleaders bitching around and jocks making fun of her, it was only natural that she'd feel worried. Of course she would – she was Tina the Asian Goth chick and he was Mike Chang, the dancing and athletic wonder. How long did she seriously believe that he would have his eyes for her?

'_How long really?'_ The more popular girls would jeer at her before fawning over the football team, with Mike included, just as the team would score their first win of the season. She would watch with silent dismay as the team entertained the girls, some jocks more happily than the others, and among them was Mike who would politely talk to the girls.

She couldn't blame him, really. Part of her understood High School standards and the pressures of friends and popularity. She had been part of the receiving end of the brutal structure for most of her life, so she understood. But still, part of her didn't want to understand. And as she watched two cheerleaders walk up to Mike and talk about some mindless topic, Tina felt hurt.

Part of her didn't want to believe all the gossip and snide comments from the girls. After all, she and Mike had been together now for a couple of months and things were looking good for them. They were happy, and she really liked Mike – and by the looks of it, he really liked her too. But she would be lying to herself if she didn't feel hurt and insecure every time a 'normal' girl would walk up to Mike or somebody would pass a snide comment at her.

So perhaps this was the most logical thing to do, Tina thought that evening in her bathroom. Her hair was wet and she was wrapped in one of her fluffy towels, black hair dye lay inside the sink and she stared at her reflection with wide eyes. She felt her throat tighten and she swallowed, she really wanted their relationship to work and if she had to do this, then she would.

"_Oh. My. God_." Kurt held onto Mercedes' arm that morning trying to steady himself and stare wide eyed at the entrance of the school. More than anything, he looked like a fish and just gaped at the sight before him. His hands curled into Mercedes' arm and he tried to breathe normally. "Oh sweet Gaga,"

"What's wrong – _oh hell no_," Mercedes looked over her shoulder and practically leaned against her locker in shock. Her eyes widened and she just stared as their object of fixation walked down the hallway, with people parting their way for her and simply staring at her openly.

"Hey guys," a streak-free Tina stopped at her locker, smiling briefly at her two gaping friends and opened her locker, pointedly ignoring the stares she received. Fishing around her locker, she pulled out her necessary books and stuffed them into her messenger bag.

"Tina," Kurt blinked, staring at her in open shock and taking in her appearance.

"Girl, you look…" Mercedes tried to fish for the right words before she and Kurt stared at each other at loss of words.

Swiping her black hair over her shoulder, Tina smiled tentatively. "Normal?" she asked. She briefly looked down at her ensemble. She wore a pair of light grey tight jeans, with a white top and a stylish brown vest. There were no frills and lace in sight, and nothing was black. Her make up was lighter than usual, and her hair came down in waves. She even wore a white headband in her hair.

Kurt stared, while he would admit that the outfit was definitely stylish (and wait, was that a Alexander McQueen vest?), it still wasn't normal – for _Tina standards_. "Erm," he breathed nervously.

Tina laughed nervously and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It's new look," she said absently, not meeting their stares and looking around the hallway. People were staring at her. Turning back to her shocked friends, she shrugged. "Just trying to mix it up,"

"Okay," breathed Mercedes, nodding but not really understanding what was going on.

With impeccable timing, Mike Chang suddenly appeared behind Tina and he grinned at the two. "Hi guys," he greeted over Tina's shoulder. Shifting slightly, he looked down and his smile faltered slightly and his brows furrowed in confusion. "Hi…oh, hey…_Tina_?"

"Hi Mike," Tina turned to Mike, smiling nervously and leaning against her locker. She swallowed when he stared at her, trying to figure out what was going on. Ignoring the look, she smiled and rose to her toes and kissed him on the lips briefly. "Good morning,"

"Er," Mike breathed in confusion and smiled slightly at his girlfriend. "Good morning," he said, while studying her.

Taking notice of the exchange, Kurt elbowed Mercedes and the two shared a panicked look. Signaling that they should exit, he tugged her arm. "We're heading to class now," he announced suddenly, despite the fact that they still had time to spare.

"See you guys at lunch," Mercedes called over her shoulder as she was dragged away by Kurt.

Mike briefly watched the two scurry off to class before turning back to Tina, a confused expression crossed his face as he took her in. It baffled him why she was dressed this way. Were they supposed to play dress up for Glee today? "You look…" he began trying to figure out the right words to say.

"Normal?" Tina chuckled under her breath, and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah, I decided to change looks," She shrugged and did not meet his eye. "Experimenting and stuff,"

"I was going to say different," Mike scratched his chin thoughtfully. He looked at her, and took her hand as they began walking down the hallway. He frowned when people, especially guys, started to take notice of Tina's appearance. "But you look great,"

Tina wasn't really sure how to feel about that – did that mean she didn't look good to him before? Offering him a tentative smile, she nodded her thanks and looked away. As they began making their way to class, she faintly wondered why she still felt miserable all of the sudden. With her dressed this way - so normally – why did she still feel hurt?

The day seemed odd, but Mike couldn't really understand why. Tina had been acting strange the whole day, and it didn't help that she suddenly decided to change styles overnight and seemingly try to change personalities within 24 hours. While he knew that she was shy, this Tina was seemed more withdrawn now and quieter than usual. At lunch, it was as if she was just sitting there, taking everything in. she was like a frickin' doll. The Tina he knew was upbeat and bubbly, and affectionate. This one looked borderline clinically depressed.

To say that he was worried would have been an understatement. Mike faintly wondered if he did something wrong to cause this change in Tina. He would be lying to say that he didn't find her attractive with the way she was dressed right now, but this wasn't the Tina knew – or loved. And it was killing him not really understanding what was going on.

When this stretched out throughout the week, Mike's worry grew to abysmal proportions – and he wasn't exaggerating. And it wasn't helping when some of the jocks tried to make passes at Tina in the hallway. Despite how "happy" she may look right now, he couldn't be fooled by her front. For Christ's sake he was dating her, he knew her inside out and he couldn't be fooled by her sudden change.

So on Friday after school, he decided to take the situation into his own hands. It was obvious that she wasn't opening up about the situation, so he decided that it was best he'd address the situation himself. However, he didn't have a real plan in mind nor was he sure _how _to approach the situation, so he did the most logical thing possible – he _kidnapped_ her, well, sort of.

"This isn't the way home," Tina pointed out as she looked out the window and watched as they missed their turn. She turned to look at Mike, who looked worried, and stared at him in confusion. "Where are we going?"

Mike gripped his steering wheel tightly and spared her a tight look. "I'm not sure," he told her earnestly before turning back to the road and taking a turn.

Tina blinked and stared at him in confusion. "You're not sure?" She began to worry as his expression refused to change. "Mike, is everything alright?"

He sighed softly and he looked worriedly out at the road. "I'm not sure," he repeated and refused to look at her.

Tina swallowed as a lump formed in her throat and she turned away from him, her eyes shining in worry. Her hands curled into her seatbelt and she frowned. Was he breaking up with her? "Oh," she finally breathed and listlessly looked out the window.

The drive was filled with heavy silence before they found themselves at a deserted lot at the outskirts of Lima, overlooking an empty field and nothing else. They sat in the car for a minute, taking in the greenery and allowing the heavy silence to settle in and perhaps to slowly lift. But it didn't.

Mike sighed loudly and looked at Tina, his eyes shining with worry. He studied her blank expression and reached out and touched her hands that were curled into fists. He watched her jump at his action and look down at their hands. "Tee?"

"Mike?" she said, her voice smaller than usual and she stared at him.

"Tee," he said again. With his free hand, he unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted to stare at her directly. "Tee, I'm worried about you," he said earnestly and offered her hand a light squeeze.

Tina smiled nervously. "There's nothing to be worried about," she said. Her gaze drifted from his face to the windshield, staring at the green field before them. "Nothing,"

Mike sighed and looked away, feeling slightly exasperated. He frowned and turned back to her. "This isn't you, Tina," he said, a little firmer this time making her snap her head in his direction and stare at him with a surprised look. "This isn't you at all," he said and briefly regarded her. "You used to be so happy and open, now you're all…"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Tina said slowly and dropped her gaze. "I'm me," she said softly.

"No, no you're not,"

Tina stared at him, watching him frown and look frustrated. She swallowed nervously and felt tears suddenly well up in her eyes. She looked away and dabbed the corner of her eye. "I am,"

"Who are you trying to fool, Tina?" he asked her, shifting in his seat and leaning closer. "Tina, I _know _you. The past week you've been miserable and it pains me to see you like this. I don't understand why you are doing this. You decide one day to just change who you are, just like that? What's going on, Tee?"

Tina stared at him, studying his worried expression and she frowned slowly. "Mike, I…" she began but soon found nothing to say. She suddenly felt embarrassed and depressed.

"Did I do something wrong, Tee?" Mike looked worried. He swallowed and stared at her imploringly. "I'm sorry,"

She turned to him, her eyes wide and she shook her head. "No, no, you didn't," she said, and she realized that he never did anything wrong and what she did was irrational and stupid. She felt stupid. Her eyes welled up as she stared at him. "No, you didn't. You're...you're perfect,"

"Tee," Mike sighed softly.

Tina looked away, tears shining in her eyes and she blearily stared out the window. "I just…I feel so stupid," she whispered and absently tugged at her red blouse. "I thought it would be okay to change, I thought you'd like it,"

"I like you, Tina," Mike said sternly and tugged her hand to make her look at him. "I don't care how you look or what you wear, I like you, and that's what matters. I like you,"

"I just," Tina began and frowned softly, looking away. "We're so different, Mike. Everybody keeps saying that we won't last because we're so different. You're popular, a star jock, while I'm a freak Goth girl. Cheerleaders like you. Everybody thinks that—"

"Screw them," he snapped, frowning and holding her hand tightly. "I don't care what everybody thinks,"

Tina felt a tear roll down her cheek and she bit her bottom lip. She felt embarrassed and stupid for doing all of this. "Mike, I…"

"Tee, I want to be with you, and I don't care about being popular or what other people think. I don't care about cheerleaders. I care about you. You're all that I think about, Tee," he said and he smiled slowly. "It's only you, Tee,"

Tina slowly nodded and tried to swipe away the tear, but he beat her to it and wiped the tears away from her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly, staring into his eyes. "I feel stupid,"

"No, you're not," Mike told her, smiling softly and running his thumb over her cheek. "You know you're beautiful, right?"

Tina frowned. "No, I'm not,"

He held her cheek and smiled at her. "Yes you are. You're beautiful. Very beautiful," he said. "And if you don't want to change the way you look, you don't need to change. I want you to be happy, Tee. If you're happy, I am happy. And I love you just the way you are,"

Tina blinked and she felt herself flush. "Love me?"

It was his turn to blush and he smiled softly at her. "Yeah,"

"I…" Tina looked flustered and blushed. "_Wo ai ni," _she said breathlessly and looked away, flushing.

Mike smiled and leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. He stared into her eyes and regarded her softly. "I want you to be with you, Tee. You don't need to change for us to be together. And to hell what other people think. It's all about us – you and me,"

"You and me," Tina repeated in a whisper.

"Yeah," he said. Smiling at her, he leaned in and caught her lips in a sweet and lingering kiss. He felt a tear trickle down her cheek and mindfully wiped it away, before pulling away and kissing her cheek lovingly. "_Wo ai ni, baobei," _

Tina blushed and nodded. She leaned up and pecked his lips and smiled softly when he grinned goofily. "_Wo ye ai ni,_"

While she had to admit that she felt embarrassed for her irrational thinking and sudden change, Tina felt more at peace now that everything was done and dealt with. And she couldn't help but have silly smile on her face as she thought of Mike's confession – that he truly only had eyes for her. The thought gave her a lovely warm feeling inside and she relished in it. And as it may be hard to believe that Mike Chang was in love with her, she definitely believed in it, especially with her being madly in love with the jock-cum-dancer as well.

And so as a sign that may well translate into the proverbial middle finger to every hater in WMHS, a Tina decked in her usual dark lacy Goth clothes with red streaks in her hair came bounding into the school Monday morning. She grinned as she ignored the usual stares she got from everybody and her smile grew when she spotted Mike waiting by her locker. Her stomach fluttered when he smiled proudly at her, and in the midst of the stares he easily swooped down and kissed her softly on the lips. Screw everybody else.

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a review!


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